Lucid Dreaming Basics
Written by Joshua Liddle
We all have dreams, even if we canʼt remember them. These strange and mysterious
adventures that go on in our head during our sleep often donʼt get the attention they
deserve -- we donʼt put much focus on them and most of us donʼt really care so much
about our dreams. But what many of us donʼt know is how much fun dreams can be.
Itʼs called “lucid dreaming”, when a person who is dreaming becomes aware they are
asleep and can consciously change the dream. In fact every single aspect of a dream can
be controlled. The location, the objects, the people, the story. Even the smaller details like
the color of objects, the brightness of the sky, the sound of the wind. Itʼs all entirely
controllable. Unfortunately, many of us do not understand lucid dreaming, or are unaware
how to achieve a dream of such a nature. But the simple fact is everyone can lucid dream,
and all it takes is a little time and persistence.
Lucid dreaming is often confused by many myths. Letʼs clear some up.
“Lucid Dreaming Is New Age”
A very typical myth is that lucid dreaming is some sort of new age movement, or revolves
around black magic, psychic and spiritual connections, or something along those lines.
The truth is lucid dreaming is just dreaming with logic and awareness. No witchcraft
involved. And in fact, lucid dreaming has been around for centuries. It is not a modern
discovery.
“Not Everyone Can Lucid Dream”
Lucid dreaming is just like any other skill-- it takes a little time and practice. But its not a
special gift, or a random occurrence that some people get lucky with. Its entirely learnable,
by everyone.
“Lucid Dreaming Isnʼt Real”
Apart from thousands (if not millions) of people having had a lucid dream at some point in
their life, and many many people practicing the art of lucid dreaming as a hobby or just out
of interest, lucid dreaming has been scientifically acknowledged.
“Its A Waste Of Time”
A terrible but common assumption with lucid dreaming is that itʼs a waste of time, and lucid
dreaming is silly and not worth the effort. But these opinions come from people who
havenʼt enjoyed a conscious dream. Once you have one, youʼll be hooked.
Another common issue with newbies is that they believe “I canʼt remember my dreams, so
I canʼt lucid dream”. Well, we know that everyone dreams (even if you canʼt remember)
and dream recall is something you can train yourself to get better at. In fact, there are
many things you can learn during your quest for a lucid dream. Apart from the many ways
you can induce dreams there is also another skill youʼll have to learn. Controlling your
dream (but donʼt worry, its hugely fun!).
Part 1: Letʼs Get Lucid
So, how can you achieve a lucid dream? There are two main types of dreams that are
commonly used.
DILD - Dream Initiated Lucid Dream
A “dream initiated lucid dream” or “DILD” as they are more commonly known, is a lucid
dream that starts off like any other dream but the dreamer becomes aware during the
dream, usually from a sudden realization they are asleep caused by an RC (reality check)
or a dream sign. Typically, these lucid dreams leave the dreamer with slightly weaker
awareness.
WILD - Wake Initiated Lucid Dream
A “wake initiated lucid dream” or “WILD” is a lucid dream, where the dreamer prepares to
lucid dream while awake, and falls directly into a dream where he / she is immediately
lucid. These dreams are often more vivid, and offer a much higher level of consciousness
than the DILD method. They are also known to be longer and more reliable, but harder to
achieve (especially with newbies).
WILD is often chosen by more advance lucid dreamers, however most lucid dreamers tend
to use more than one method. There are also a range of sub-methods that fit into either
category. The most notable one is called a “DEILD”.
DEILD - Dream Exit Initiated Lucid Dream
A DEILD is a lucid dream that is caused by the dreamer waking up from a dream, and not
moving. After waking up, the dreamer can not move at all, and must leave their eyes
shut. The body then believes it is still asleep, and you fall back into the dream very quickly.
This method is of moderate difficulty. Not moving at all after waking up may seem hard, but
with a little practice is very easy. This method is much easier to achieve after waking up
from a lucid dream, and is often used by lucid dreamers to get back into previous dreams
which they woke from. The DEILD method allows you to continue dreaming from where
you left off, and almost always provides a strong amount of lucidity. It fits into the WILD
category.
The easiest method for a beginner is DILD, which Iʼll be covering. To achieve a DILD, you
can do a range of things. One of them is select an “RC”. An RC is a reality check, which is
used by dreamers to confirm whether they are asleep or awake. Common reality checks
are to count your fingers (in dreams, youʼll have too many or too few fingers-- often people
also have fingers of differing lengths) plug your nose (in dreams, while plugging your nose,
you can still breathe) or to check an alarm clock (which will show distorted patterns on the
interface) or check an brown townog clock repeatedly (if dreaming, hands on brown townog clocks will
repeatedly change positions). Throughout the day, itʼs recommended you do RCs even
though you are aware you are awake, purely to get into the habit of RCing so it happens
naturally in your dreams. You should also question reality regularly. Should I be here? How
did I get here? Was that carpet always orange? If something seems odd, RC. It is vital you
do this and do it with persistence.
Another way to induce DILDs is to find a dream sign. Dream signs are odd occurrences,
people, or objects that regularly appear in your dreams. For example, a green frog that
always seems to appear when you are asleep. A red ball that bounces past you in your
dreams. Small signs that can help you realize this isnʼt reality.
There are a few basic rules and tips you should note before trying to get lucid, that will
make complete sense when you experience them yourself. Here are the top three:
Tip 1: Strong Emotion = Blackout
Strong emotions in dreams will lead to waking up. Extreme sadness, excitement, or anger
will kill a dream. Ironically, emotions are magnified in sleep, so youʼll need to keep calm
when lucid. If you get too excited, youʼll shortly be sitting up in your bed kicking yourself
about how you missed out on a potentially great lucid dream.
Tip 2: Stabilize, Stabilize, Stabilize
When in dreams, things might start to go blurry. Sound will fade, color will die, and youʼll
soon find yourself waking up. OR, you might notice how the dream feels odd. The best
way I can describe this is “soft”. You need to make the dream more “solid” to enjoy it, and
prolong it. The best way to do this is to stabilize. Its an act that makes the dream retain
vividness. Un-stable dreams will give you a sense of vertigo, and may feel as if they are
breaking away. The best way to stabilize is to rub your hands. Youʼll immediately notice the
difference. If you are at the end of your sleep cycle, dreams may regularly start to fall
away, so you may have to regularly stabilize. But not always. An alternative method is to
spin around, but in my experience doing so will aid in waking you up. Spinning is also a
method of teleportation in dreams, and should be avoided if you donʼt want to lose the
scene. Additionally, if you lose all sight (which happens in unstable dreams) you should
force your dream eyes open with your dream hands. It sounds weird, but it works.
Tip 3: Believe, Or Fail
This may sound extremely strange, but if you fail to believe you can have a lucid dream,
you wonʼt. Its that simple. Also, if you donʼt believe you can control a dream, you will not be
able to do it.
Part 2: Control
Control is the most important part of a lucid dream. Without it, you are going to end up
frustrated and bored. Hereʼs the deal. All you need to do is believe (yep, belief-- sounds
more and more like The Matrix now, doesnʼt it?). Nobody needs to have any skill. Just
belief that what you want to do will work. Most of us think far too much about what we are
doing in lucid dreams. Just remember that your dreamworld is controlled by you and you
only. If you have a feeling of doubt, it'll shine through and overpower your belief that what
you are doing will work. If you create a banana and it looks blue, just believe its a perfectly
normal yellow banana. Chances are it'll turn yellow by itself, because if you ignore the fact
its blue, its not gonna stay that color. And even if it does stay that color, who is going to
question you? If you believe its yellow, so will the DCs in your dream (dream characters).
And if they don't believe it, you must not either.
The existence of most objects in our dreams relies on your attention, and is effected by our
thoughts. If you think the object you made isn't appearing right, its not going to. So go on,
be ignorant, and don't doubt any of your actions. That is the key to good control, whatever
method you use. But you don’t have a method yet, do you? Read on:
The “Out Of Sight” Method
This methods requires you to create objects and people out of sight. If you want a gun to
appear, turn your back on the place you want it to manifest, and think heavily about what
the gun will look like. Picture it in your head. What color is it? What shape is it? How fast
will it shoot? Does it have unlimited ammo? Consider all of these variables. Then, turn
around, and your gun should be there. You can do this with any object, person, or thing. A
similar trick is to expect the object to be around a corner, or behind something else.
The “Easter Egg” Method
This method is all about convenience. Pretend that whatever object you are looking for is
coincidentally and conveniently nearby. For example, if you want to find a grenade, put
your hand in your pocket and pull it out. Just imagine what you want is in your pocket. For
larger objects, use logical thought to find the objects in the nearby are. For instance, say
you want to find a laptop to see what the internet is like in your dream. Where could a
laptop be? In that cupboard near you? Under the sofa you are sitting on? Picture the
object being stored or hidden close to you. This method requires a lot of belief.
The “Charity Case” Method
Like a hobo, go begging for objects from DCs (dream characters). Whatever object you
want, believe that a dream character has it and ask them for it. If they say no, donʼt take it
for an answer. Why not pretend you have mind control powers and convince them like a
Jedi? You can do anything!
To help you understand exactly what you can do in your lucid dreams, here is another
helpful list, listing the general categories of things that appear in your dream.
DCs - Dream Characters
“Dream characters” or “DCs” are characters and people that appear in your dreams. Treat
DCs like NPCs from a video game.
Objects
Objects are items, furniture, and other static entities.
Locations
Locations (arguably the hardest control aspect) are the scene you are in. Switching
locations is difficult. Ways of traveling are driving by car, walking by foot, spinning around
and picturing the new location, or levitating into the air and flying.
Environments
The environment is the content of a location. In environments, just like anything else in a
dream, you can change every detail. The wind, the sound, the color, the size, the shape.
Create clouds. Cause a tornado. Manipulate fire and sand. Add new life forms. Just like
playing God!
Physics Manipulation / Powers
Every lucid dreamer loves to defy physics and logic by using powers, such as flying,
telekinesis, inhuman strength, breathing underwater, mind control, and anything else you
can imagine.
Part 3: Remembering Dreams
Apart from dreaming itself, remembering dreams can be a whole different story. There are
ways you can improve dream recall.
Keep A Notebook
Keep a notebook by your bedside to write down notes quickly about any dreams you have
just had. Use these notes the next day to aid in remembering dreams.
For example, after having a dream where you killed a zombie and flew to the moon in a
boat, you could write: zombie, moon, boat flying.
Keywords are all you need.
Keep A DJ
Many lucid dreamers keep a DJ (dream journal) where they write down their dreams like
stories, or in diary format. DJs are key for recalling dreams, and also help in finding dream
signs among other things.
You can run a DJ online and let other lucid dreamers read it and give feedback, or if you
prefer you could keep it private and type it up on the computer or write it down in a book.
After Waking Up, Remain Still
When you wake up, try not to move too much. Go over your dream in your head before
getting up. If you move significantly after a dream, it aids in helping you forget it.
Part 4: Final Words
Now you understand the basics of achieving your first simple lucid dream, and learning
control, you are ready to try. There are also many lucid dreaming resources on the
internet, available for you to look deeper into WILD and DILD techniques, and find out
other suitable ways to get lucid. Just remember the key things: believe you can do it, keep
calm, and keep practicing. Persistence is important. Your dreamworld is yours. You can do
literally anything you want. You are only limited by your will and your imagination.
Written by Joshua Liddle Copyright 2010
Quote to read.
